It was a huge shock, pain and grief for the Oriohas that their wife
wholike any other day, went to work but could not return. Rather, what they
heard was the devastating news that she was trapped in the office of the
Chairman of the council where she worked as a clerical officer. Since then,
life has not been the same for her 51- year- old husband/ farmer, Mr. Emmanuel
Orioha and his four children, two boys and two girls and indeed, the entire
Orioha family. Accuse prominent politicians Mr. Emmanuel Oriha who narrated the
sad incident to Crime Alert in tears, pointed accusing fingers at some
prominent politicians from Ngwa Ukwu and Umuha areas of the Council. His
suspicion arose from alleged inflammatory remarks they made when they visited
his community to solicit support for their preferred aspirant, one Uzoma Iruka.
Flanked by his elder brother, Ugonna, the distraught husband lamented that his
wife was sacrificed by politicians to settle their scores and urged the Police
to ensure that they will not go free.
He also urged PDP which he said was behind everything to see to the
training of their four children. How it happened “On Wednesday, November 9,
2016, at about 11.30 am, I was in my house resting after returning from the
farm. I got a call from my senior brother, Ugonna, who told me to urgently
proceed to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, that my wife was involved in
fire outbreak in her office. When I got to Umuahia, I saw my wife at the
emergency ward and I could not recognize her because of the degree of burns she
sustained. I told them this is not my wife. The doctors who were doing
everything possible to save her life told me to call her as she was still
managing to speak. I called her and she responded. I lost control; it was like
the end of the world for me. “After trying their best, the doctors referred us
to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, where the doctors told me in
confidence that the chance of her survival was 50-50 because of the level of
injuries she sustained. Before then, I asked her if she recognized the people
that set the office on fire. She mentioned three persons, all of them natives
of Isiala Ngwa North.
She said that three boys came to the chairman’s office with petrol and
one of their colleagues confronted them, they said that the Transition
Committee chairman asked them to buy it for his generator. ”Shortly after, the
chairman came to his office and picked few things and left. After that, one of
the boys made a phone call after which one of them poured the fuel around
chairman’s office and lit it up,” he alleged. She pleaded for life Orioha said
that his late wife told him that she was crying and pleading with the arsonists
to allow her escape from the fire but they refused. One of her colleagues died
instantly during the inferno. He also lamented that the Transition chairman
whom his late wife worked for did not come to see her at FMC or orthopaedic
hospital but came to their house after the woman died. Why we are pointing accusing
fingers.
Interjecting, his elder brother,
Ugonna Orioha, alleged that: “On October 19, 2016, some notable politicians
from Ngwa Ugwu and Umuha visited our community to solicit support for their
aspirant running for chairmanship of the council. They addressed us and some of
them threatened that if one of the aspirants, Ginger Onwusibe, wins the
election, blood will flow, that they will burn down the council. One of our
leaders cautioned them over the statement reminding all of us that it should
not be a do or die affair. Now see what happened about two weeks after. Our
principal suspects “Those people and the Transition Chairman are our principal
suspects in the death of our wife. We are ready to go anywhere and mention
their names. We are using this opportunity to call on the Federal Government to
wade into the issue of political killings in Isiala Ngwa North. The Federal
Government should do something about it.” Continuing, the bereaved husband
lamented, “Now, they have also sent a letter of threat to my brother, Ugonna.
The life of our family is under threat. We appeal for police protection.” He
brandished one-paragraph letter of threat that was allegedly sent to Ugonna
which reads; “Ugonna Orioha, choose to close your mouth or we shall come for
you.” He said it has been submitted to the police.
Account of one of the leaders One
of the persons they alleged to have used inciting language during the visit,
Chief Christopher Enweremadu, a lawyer, former Speaker of Abia State House of
Assembly and scion of the popular Enweremadu dynasty, dismissed the allegations
and vehemently denied his involvement and that of his supporters in the fire
incident. He told Crime Alert: “Those who mentioned my name were being used by
my political enemies. They should rather look towards the person that won the
election who has history of political violence. It is very unfortunate that
somebody would link my name to a dastard act such as arson. Despite what they
said, I will continue to condole with the family that lost their beloved one.
It is sad. I want to say categorically that at the meeting in Chief Onukwue’s
house, I never used any inciting or foul language, or threatened to kill or
burn down anything, what for? I believe that the people saying this are being
sponsored by my political enemies. We were not and cannot take part in
political killing or violence. Acclaimed winner reacts Reacting to Enweremadu’s
allegations, Chief Ginger Onwusibe dismissed it as the ‘ranting of a drowning
politician’. Onwusibe wondered how he would sponsor a family that lost a dear
wife and was aware of the threat made earlier. According to him “the truth of
the matter is that it is left for Isiala Ngwa people, indeed Abia people to
decide who, between Onwusibe family and Enweremadu family, has history of
criminality and violence. Records are there for the people to see. Petition to
the police “The point is that when I got information of the threat they made at
the meeting, I wrote a petition to the police. In the petition I recalled
[alleged] criminal attempts by our opponents to kill and maim some Isiala-Ngwa
politicians.
I alerted the Police Commissioner of the
[alleged] plans to kill me; I also told the Police that the family has history
of violently attacking people. I attached photographs of gunshot wounds
sustained by their victims. I personally delivered the petition to the office
of the Police Commissioner on October 31, 2016. Surprisingly, the Police did
not act.” Police action Meanwhile, the Abia State Police Command is handling
the matter. The State Commissioner of police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, paraded four
persons suspected to have been arrested that very day in connection with the
arson. The suspects were Okereke Madubuchi, Enwerem Chukwuma, Ebuka Aroh and
Loveday Nwigwe. They were said to be students of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba
and hail from Imo, Anambra and Abia States.
No comments:
Post a Comment